the first civilizations didactic unit victor perez 2014

Master in Foreign Language Teaching

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH AND GERMAN STUDIES

THE FIRST CIVILIZATIONS

CLIL History ESO 1

Víctor Lluís Pérez Garcia

Supervisor : Anca Daniela Frumuselu

(Tarragona, 2014)

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Table of contents:

1. Introduction ……………………………………………..…………………. 3

2. Competences ……………………………………………………………… 6

3. Learning objectives ……………………………………………………….. 9

4. Contents ………………………………………………………………….. 13

5. Evaluation and assessment …………………………….……………… 16

6. Methodology ……………………………………………………………... 19

7. Lesson plan (activities, time and space) …………..…..……………… 22

8. Resources and materials ……………………………..………………… 35

9. Anticipated problems and solutions …………………….……………... 37

10. Bibliography …………………………………………………………….. 40

11. Webgraphy ……………………………………………………………… 42

12. Annexes ………………………………………………………………… 45

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1. Introduction

1.1- Context of the didactic unit :

I designed this didactic unit for the subject of Social Sciences (which

includes both geography and history) of ESO (Secondary Obligatory

Education), to be taught in English language to Catalan students. Therefore,

CLIL (Content and language integrated learning) it is used, a modern

methodology that the European Union as well as the Catalan Government

(Generalitat) is trying to implement nowadays at schools, step by step. This is

one of the reasons of its importance.

The title of the didactic unit is “The first civilizations”, and it deals about

the history of ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, India and China, the first urban

cultures and hydraulic civilizations, a decisive development stage in the

evolution of mankind (together with the Neolithic and Industrial revolutions).

Moreover, the importance of this topic is reinforced by the possibilities of

teaching the cultural diversity of the world and transmitting the need of

tolerance, as well as the need of protection of the cultural heritage (given the

wide geographical background studied here and the common characteristics

shared by those early civilizations, despite their obvious differences and

particularities).

I divided the didactic unit into seven lessons, which can be extended to a

few more depending of the available teaching time in relation to the course

program or syllabus, the academic progress of the students (fast learners), their

needs and the decision of the teacher. I started with an introductory session,

where I showed my students the general characteristics of the first civilizations,

their locations and chronology. In the following sessions I focused on each one

of the early civilizations and its culture (Mesopotamia, Egypt, India and China),

spending more time on Egypt, given its importance. Then, I finished with a final

exam which took place in the last session.

When designing the daily planning I prepared more activities than the

necessary (they probably will take more time than the estimated minutes),

thinking in a class of fast learners and in the possibility that the teacher prefers

to extend the number of sessions or make his/her students do extra homework.

If the situation is the contrary (a class of slow learners or the teacher wish to

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shorten the theme), it is easy to adapt the daily plan I designed in this didactic

unit, by choosing the desired activities or by simplifying others. For the same

reason I added additional resources and materials that the teacher can use at

will (text books, didactic short videos and other educative Internet resources,

recommended documentaries and historical films).

At the end of this didactic unit, in the annexes, I added the contents of

the lesson in the form of synthetic summaries, which can be complemented with

historical texts adapted to the age and to the English level of the students, or

with textbooks specifically prepared for CLIL history in case the secondary

school uses them. I created these summaries by myself, after nine years of

experience teaching history in the ESO level.

As for the general timing, considering the specific contents of the grade

fixed by the Catalan educational laws, this topic it is planned to be taught at the

middle of the course, during the second semester.

Group level is 1st of ESO, that is, students of around 12 and 13 years old.

I my particular case, I work as history teacher in a secondary school from

Tarragona (Institut Torreforta). Normally in the class there are between 25 and

30 students (attendance is variable, according to the day, and absenteeism is

remarkable in some cases). As for the organization of the space, students are

sitting in rows, in individual tables in front of a blackboard and projector, like the

classical or traditional way. Thanks to new technologies, videos, audios, photos

and presentations are available in the classroom, which facilitates the teacher

task by allowing him to use different resources and stimulates at the same time

the interest of the teenager learners.

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1.2- CLIL :

Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) involves teaching a

curricular subject through the medium of a language other than that normally

used. The subject can be entirely unrelated to language learning, such as

history lessons being taught in English in a school in Catalonia. This is the case

of this Didactic Unit. The methodology used in CLIL is similar to but distinct from

language immersion and content-based instruction1.

According to the Council of Europe, “CLIL is a dual-focused educational

approach in which and additional language is used for the learning and teaching

of content and language with the objective of promoting both content and

language mastery to pre-defined levels”2.

According to the European Comission3, CLIL’s multi-faceted approach

can offer a variety of benefits. It:

- builds intercultural knowledge and understanding

- develops intercultural communication skills

- improves language competence and oral communication skills

- develops multilingual interests and attitudes

- provides opportunities to study content through different perspectives

- allows learners more contact with the target language

- does not require extra teaching hours

- complements other subjects rather than competes with them

- diversifies methods and forms of classroom practice

- increases learners' motivation and confidence in both the language and

the subject being taught

1 APAC: 2006; LASAGABASTER & RUIZ: 2010; FORTANET: 2013. 2 http://clil-cd.ecml.at/Portals/24/flashfiles (MALJERS & MARSH & WOLFF & GENESEE & FIRGOLS & MEHISTO: 2010) 3 http://ec.europa.eu/languages/language-teaching/content-and-language-integrated-learning_en.htm

http://clil-cd.ecml.at/Portals/24/flashfiles

http://ec.europa.eu/languages/language-teaching/content-and-language-integrated-

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2. Competences

A competency is the ability to apply knowledge, skills and attitudes in

different contexts.

The key competences are essential tools to integrate into student’s

learning, and allow them to apply the knowledge they have gained. The allow

pupils to achieve a personal realization, an active citizenship, a fulfilling adult

live and a continuous learning. They all emphasize critical thinking, creativity,

initiative, problem solving, risk assessment, decision taking and constructive

management of feelings4.

In the list of eight key competences I am going to detail also their

subcompetences. They had been developed by considering English as the

common language. Thus, these competences and subcompetences should

allow pupils to communicate with an increasing degree of skill in the foreign

language. Therefore, when placing the basic competences according to the

order of importance (on how History contributes to them), the competence in

linguistic communication comes first, whilst in a Didactic Unit written in the first

language (Catalan, in this case) it would be placed in fifth place.

Those competences can be divided into several types: communicative

competences (numbers 2.1 and 2.4), methodological competences (numbers

2.5, 2.6 and 2.7), personal competences (number 2.8) and specific

competences to live in the world (numbers 2.2 and 2.3).

2.1- Linguistic competence5 :

- Communicate simple messages, verbally and in writing.

- Apply language usage rules, as well as linguistic and non-linguistic

skills, when communicating.

- Use specific vocabulary from each subject area to enrich one’s

language.

- Enjoy listening, reading and expressing thoughts and ideas in writing.

- Process information from oral and written sources.

4 MARTÍN & PUIG: 2007; ESCAMILLA: 2008. 5 PÉREZ & ZAYAS: 2007

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2.2- Social and civic competence :

- Understand the past and present social reality.

- Have knowledge of how societies have developed, their organization,

achievements and problems.

- Develop the ability to empathize in order to understand human actions

in the past or present.

2.3- Competence in knowledge and interaction with the physical world :

- Perceive and understand the physical space in which human activity

takes place and the interaction between these two things.

2.4- Cultural and artistic competence :

- Be familiar with and appreciate relevant artistic works because they are

characteristic of particular styles and artists or because they are part of

the cultural heritage.

- Develop skills for recognizing and understanding the technical elements

necessary for analyzing important works of art.

2.5- Data processing and digital competence :

- Search for, find and process information from direct and indirect

observation of reality, and from written, graphic and audiovisual sources.

- Distinguish between relevant and irrelevant information, relate and

compare sources and integrate and analyze the information critically.

- Understand and interpret icons, symbols and other ways of

representing information, especially those relating to maps and images.

2.6- Mathematical competence :

- Be aware of the quantitative and spatial aspects of reality.

2.7- Competence in learning to learn :

- Develop strategies for thinking, organizing, memorizing, and retrieving

information, such as summaries, diagrams and mind maps.

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2.8- Autonomy and personal initiative:

- Take part in debates, and undertake individual and group work activities

which involve thinking, analyzing, planning, carrying out and reviewing

the work and drawing conclusions.

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3. Learning objectives

3.1- General objectives of Social Sciences in ESO6 :

- Identify, locate and analyze, in different spatial and temporal scales, the

basic elements that characterize the natural, social and cultural

environment. Understand the territory as a result of the interactions over

time between human groups and available resources, assessing the

economic, social, political and environmental consequences and the

need to ensure the sustainability.

- Recognize the main landscape units in the world, Europe, Spain and

Catalonia, and appreciate them in all their diversity, as a product of the

time and of the relationship between physical and human elements.

- Identify the processes and mechanisms which rule the events and the

interrelation between political, economical, social and cultural events,

know the multicausality of the events and their consequences and

appreciate the role of men and women as individual and collective

subjects of the processes.

- Identify and locate in the time and the space processes and important

events in the history of the world, with an emphasis on Europe, Spain

and Catalonia. Achieve a global perspective on the evolution of humanity

that facilitates the understanding of the social and cultural diversity, and

apply this knowledge to the interpretation of the present, the

comprehension of the past and the construction of the future.

- Become aware of belonging to different social and cultural backgrounds

and of the equality of rights and duties of individuals, recognize diversity

as an enriching element of coexistence, express reasoned judgments

and show attitudes of respect towards values and opinions different from

ours, valuing them critically.

- Value the cultural heritage as an inheritance and legacy of human

groups as a manifestation of its richness and diversity. Understand the

basic elements of artistic expression within its context.

6 Currículum Educació Secundària Obligatòria (ESO) – Decret 143/2007 DOGC núm. 4915

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- Express and communicate the contents of the subjects in a personal

and creative way, selecting and interpreting data and information

expressed by various languages (linguistic, numerical, graphic,

multimedia and audiovisual) and reflecting on the learning process.

- Use languages as a tool to build knowledge, to communicate it and to

share it with other people, from the development of language skills

specific to the subject (description, explanation, justification,

interpretation and argumentation).

- Use in a responsible and creative way the new technologies and other

means of information and communication as tools to obtain and process

various information for the resolution of specific claims, applying

analytical tools of the used sources.

- Distinguish the basic characteristics of democratic societies and

appreciate the achievements of democracy and the validity of the

individual and collective human rights and freedoms. Assume the

democratic values in the school life and in the environment, rejecting

unfair and discriminatory situations.

- Identify the causes of several conflicts throughout history and

nowadays, valuing the need to find dialogued solutions to the problems.

Assume the values of the culture of peace in the course of discussions

and group tasks, adopting a responsible, supportive, participative and

dialogued attitude.

- Participate cooperatively in the development, implementation and

evaluation of relevant projects from the plan of questions and problems

relating to the recovery of historical memory, conservation of natural and

cultural heritage and the social life of the environment.

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3.2- Minimal objectives of 1st course ESO Social Sciences :

- Acquire and learn the specific vocabulary of the area of Social

Sciences.

- Know the geographic coordinates.

- Interpret the comprehensive readings of the subject.

- Create maps and diagrams.

- Know the characteristics of the territory of Catalonia.

- Understand the chronological evolution of historical time.

- Understand and respect cultural diversity.

- Foster the ability to interpret and analyze.

- Know the past to understand the present.

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3.3- Didactic objectives of the Unit :

- Identify the first urban civilizations and their main common

characteristics, understand their place in history and order then

chronologically.

- Describe the conditions which gave rise to their appearance.

Understand the influence of the geographic environment on the

development of the Egyptian civilization and other ancient hydraulic

civilizations.

- Identify the main economic, social and political features which

distinguished them from previous agricultural Neolithic communities.

- Recognize Mesopotamian and Egyptian civilizations as the first ones in

history to organize themselves into large states. Understand the power of

pharaohs in the Egyptian society.

- Value the importance of the discovery of writing as a tool that promoted

human communication and the preservation and transmission of

knowledge, and know how and why it was first developed.

- Recognize the stages in the history of Mesopotamia and Egypt.

- Describe the daily life in Ancient Egypt.

- Identify the main characteristics of Mesopotamian sculpture and

architecture.

- Understand the religious beliefs and describe the funeral art in Ancient

Egypt. Relate the mummification and construction of the large burial sites

in Egypt with the belief in life after death.

- Observe and interpret different historical sources including paintings

and sculptures. Use the basic tools of historical research, such as maps,

texts, images, drawings and photographs.

- Realize the need of protection of the artistic and cultural heritage of

Mesopotamia, Egypt and other ancient civilizations. Value from a

historical perspective their customs and beliefs.

- Tolerance and respect towards other cultures different from our own.

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4. Contents

4.1- Contents of Social Sciences in ESO :

This didactic unit is included in the official syllabus that the Catalan

government designed for Social Sciences in the first course of the Secondary

Obligatory Education (ESO). The contents of this subject deal with history and

geography and are divided in a total of four courses. In the first course the

students learn Ancient History (from the Prehistory until the fall of the Roman

Empire) and physical geography; in the second one, Medieval and Early

Modern history (from the expansion of Islam until the absolutist powers of

Europe), besides human geography; in the third course, economic, social and

political geography; and in the four course, Contemporary History (from the

liberal revolutions until nowadays).

1st ESO

Physical Geography:

- Our planet Earth

- The representation of the Earth: maps

- The Earth’s relief

- Rivers and seas

- Weather and climate

- Climates and landscapes of the Earth

- Society and the environment

Ancient History:

- Prehistory

- The first civilizations: Mesopotamia and Egypt

- The Greek world

- The Roman Empire

- Hispania under the Romans

- The legacy of classical culture

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4.2- Concepts of the didactic unit :

The contents usually taught in history courses in Western countries (at

primary and secondary school, as well as at university) are still too centered in

Europe (Eurocentrism). As a result, there is an obvious ignorance in our

societies which can eventually led to misunderstandings and prejudices (even

fear and even racism) towards other countries, especially those more distant

and different from our cultural background. In my opinion, this didactic defect

should be tried to be corrected by reviewing most of teaching plans and

including more references to other important cultures and civilizations of the

world, not only studying European history.

Therefore, I decided to choose this specific topic (the First Civilizations of

the Ancient World) for developing the didactic unit because it offers many

possibilities to teach about other cultures of the past, from different continents

and regions of the world (Egypt in North Africa, Mesopotamia in Middle East,

India in Southern Asia, China in East Asia… and even Mesoamerica and the

Andes7), which they share similar characteristics although their different origins

and lack of contact between them. Considering that most of the textbooks of the

1st course of ESO in Catalonia (both in Catalan and in English) only include a

few pages about Mesopotamia and Egypt, I also would like to add in the

contents references to the rest of civilizations above mentioned.

- Characteristics of the first urban civilizations.

- Mesopotamia: the first city-states and the first empires (natural

environment and history).

- Mesopotamian life and culture.

- Mesopotamian art: architecture and sculpture.

- Egypt: the Nile and the desert (natural environment and history).

- Egyptian society (pharaohs, the privileged class and the common

people) and their daily life.

- Egyptian gods and religious beliefs.

7 In the planning of this didactic unit for 1st level students of ESO (who study Prehistory and Ancient History) I didn’t included specific sessions to talk about the ancient civilizations of America, apart from a few references in the introductory lesson, since the Maya, Aztec and Inca cultures are generally included in the programs of 4rt level of ESO (Modern History), in the same didactic unit as the European discovery and conquest of America.

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- Religious architecture and art in tombs in Ancient Egypt.

- India: the civilizations of the valleys of Indus and Ganges.

- China: the civilization of the Yellow River.

4.3- Procedures and attitudes of the didactic unit :

The procedures and attitudes of the didactic unit have already been

mentioned in the didactic objectives of the unit (3.3):

- Observe and interpret different historical sources including paintings

and sculptures. Use the basic tools of historical research, such as maps,

texts, images, drawings and photographs.

- Describe and analyze the art from Egypt, Mesopotamia and other

ancient civilizations.

- Make timelines, concept maps, synthesis and schemes.

- Recognize the importance of the discovery of writing as a tool that

promoted human communication and the preservation and transmission

of knowledge.

- Realize the need of protection of the artistic and cultural heritage of

Mesopotamia, Egypt, India and China. Value from a historical

perspective their customs and beliefs.

- Tolerance and respect towards other cultures different from our own.

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5. Evaluation and assessment

In education, assessment is intended to be a tool that supports learning

and helps measure progress being made toward achieving planned learner

outcomes. The term assessment is sometimes used interchangeably with the

term “evaluation”. Assessment more often relates to individual student’s

achievements, whereas “evaluation” deals with systems, materials, procedures

and their values. Thought most of the criteria detailed here refer to the concept

assessment, in order to determine whether or not the curriculum goals have

been met, they also can be used for the teacher in order to determine the

effectiveness of the curriculum and to evaluate the language programme itself.

There are many ways to check the academic progress of a student, and

all of them complement each other: formative or continuous assessment (which

happens during the lesson) and summative or assessment (which can happen

at the end of the lesson or the unit). On the one hand, formative assessment

allows teachers to see how successfully students are progressing in relation to

the objectives and allows students to benefit from the teacher’s feedback while

the lesson is still happening. On the other hand, summative assessment allows

teachers to compare student performances to the objectives and standards and

tells the teacher whether a student has mastered the objective. That’s why

assessment is so important, no matter how the teachers do it.

During the continuous evaluation, teacher should take notes about the

degree of consolidation that each student is achieving in class, in each session.

Moreover, he should write in his/her notebook this kind of information:

- Help the student ask for

- Help the student receives

- Difficulties observed

- Possible solutions

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5.1- Assessment criteria :

- Check that the students can identify the factors which led to the birth of

the first civilizations.

- Confirm that they recognize the common characteristics and they

learned the geographical locations of the first cities and empires.

- Find out if the students understand and appreciate the importance of

geography and the Nile River in the development of the Egyptian

civilization.

- Verify that they can place on a timeline the main events in the history of

Mesopotamia and Egypt.

- Check that they can indicate the causes and consequences of the

discovery of writing.

- Assess if they recognize the main characteristics of the cultures of the

first civilizations.

- Check that they can describe the society in the first city-states and

empires.

- Confirm that they can identify the activities of the different social groups.

- Evaluate if they know how everyday life was in that time.

- Ensure that they can identify the similarities and differences between

the economic, social, political and religious structures of Mesopotamian

and Egyptian civilizations.

- Verify that they can understand the Egyptian religion and their beliefs in

the afterlife, and they can explain the reasons for the practice of

mummification.

- Assess if they can associate correctly different artistic manifestations

with each one of the ancient civilizations (Egypt, Mesopotamia, India and

China).

- Check that they can comment maps, texts, diagrams, drawings and

photographs related with the unit contents.

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5.2- Assessment items and percentages :

According to the curriculums designed by the Spanish and Catalan

educational laws, students at the ESO level should be assessed according to

three main items: contents (“to know”), procedures (“to learn to do”) and

attitudes (“to behave”).

Although in a secondary school class of Social Sciences I would give a

higher percentage to the contents than the procedures (always following the

internal department agreements of each particular school, of course), when

designing this CLIL didactic unit for Catalan students I took in mind that English

is not the mother tongue of my students, so I will try to adapt it to their

circumstances, not only by lowering the requirements to pass the written test

and the difficulty of the activities according to their language level (assess the

basic competences), but also by giving a higher evaluation percentage to the

procedures rather than the contents.

CONTENTS (40 %)

- They will be evaluated mainly through a final written test at the end of

the unit (summative assessment), for which the pupils should have to

study the main theoretical concepts learned in class.

PROCEDURES8 (50 %)

- They will be evaluated throughout the whole unit (formative

assessment).

- Teacher will evaluate all the practical activities the students do.

ATTITUDES (10 %)

- They will be evaluated throughout the whole unit (formative

assessment).

- Teacher will consider not only the correct behavior or the student in the

classroom, but also his/her active participation, cooperation and

interaction with other classmates, attendance and punctuality.

8 In a secondary school class of Social Sciences taught in Catalan language, I would give a higher percentage to the contents (50-60 %) rather than the procedures (30-40%). However, in this particular case (CLIL history in English) I would consider a change.

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6. Methodology

6.1- Methodological principles of CLIL Social Sciences :

- The subject comes first.

- Learning should be guided and structured.

- Learning should be active whenever possible.

- Concepts should be introduced in a clear, simple and reasoned way,

using language adapted to the students' level, and helping to improve

their spoken and written expression (thus, avoiding long, dense texts and

complex sentences).

- The presentation of contents should be supported by visual aids, which

help comprehension and make more attractive the learning to the eye of

young students: photos, flow charts, diagrams, tables, and labeled

drawings…

- Geographical and historical texts should be analyzed with a dual

objective: to consolidate knowledge of the subject, and to improve

reading ability.

- Comprehension tasks should be used more frequently than in a native

language context to reinforce assimilation and processing of content and

provide more language practice.

- The four skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking) are crucial for

presenting and learning new information.

6.2- Types of activities :

- Read aloud.

- Answer comprehension questions.

- Comment on texts related to the unit.

- Complete summaries and tables.

- Interpret illustrations, maps and photographs related to the first

civilizations.

- Carry out some simple research using different, easily accessible

sources of information.

- Draw maps, lists and timelines.

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- Make concept maps, synthesis and schemes about the first urban

civilizations.

- Loop up information about different aspects of ancient civilizations using

diverse sources.

- Listening to audio recordings and videos.

- Analyze and compare characteristics. Identify similarities and

differences.

- Describe and analyze the art and architecture of the first civilizations.

6.3- Language skills :

Considering that the activities I’m going to describe in the chapter 8 are

designed to be used in teaching History in adapted English, in Catalonia, they

are different than the kind of activities commonly designed for English as a

Foreign Language classes.

As far as I am teaching this subject, I can state that in my classes (as

well as in other teachers’ classes in the high school where I work) interaction is

mostly teacher-students and whole class work, except in a few occasions when

we do students-students activities or group work. In Social Sciences (no matter

if it is being taught in Catalan or in English), pair work is rarely used. One of the

reason is by using individual activities rather than pair work, the silence and the

order in class is better kept (in many high schools discipline is very important,

considering the trouble maker students and the conflictive age of teenagers,

some of them forced to study against their will obligatory studies).

I tried to involve all the main language skills in the activities of this

Didactic Unit: mainly reading and writing, but also listening and speaking.

Moreover, I gave much importance to the learning of new vocabulary related to

the topic of the lesson (see the annex 12.1). Although it is not the aim of this

CLIL unit to focus on grammar, it is possible to practice in an indirect way the

grammar particles and structures that the students have already learnt in the

class of English as a Foreign Language, when doing the history activities (see

the annex 12.2).

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6.4- General description of the activities :

Instead of complex activities which last one session or half a session, I

usually use several small complementary activities which focus on one or two

skills, rather than many of them. This works better for me in class, considering

the kind of students, the number of students, their level, the available materials,

the CLIL methodology and the ESO educational framework.

Although some kind of activities are simple and basic in their design, they

are important and effective for learning, as well as appropriate to the type of

students. For example, reading aloud texts with the aim of practicing

pronunciation, answering several questions with the aim of checking the reading

comprehension of several texts or matching words with concepts or descriptions

in order to practice specific vocabulary.

7. Lesson plan (activities, time and space)

Session 1: Introduction

ACTIVITIES AIMS (OBJECTIVES)

INTERACTION & SKILLS

MATERIALS (RESOURCES)

TIME

1) Presentation Be aware of today’s

contents

Teacher-students

Listening

Power Point with photos

(optional)

5 minutes

2) Read aloud, listen to

teacher explanations and

answer questions orally

Learn the characteristics

of the first urban

cultures and the cradles

of civilizations

Teacher-students

Listening, speaking

Textbook, photocopies

and presentation (Power

Point, computer and

projector)

25 minutes

3) Answer written

comprehension and

vocabulary questions

Comprehend texts about

today’s topic

Whole class work

Reading, writing

Texts or summaries,

dictionary, notebook and

pen

10 minutes

4) Draw a timeline Understand the

chronological evolution

Whole class / pair work

Reading, writing

Notebook and color

pencils

10 minutes

5) Locate in a map

Understand the spatial

distribution of human

cultures


Reading, writing

Photocopies of a blank

map of the world and

color pencils

10 minutes

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Description of the activities :

1) Presentation of the lesson contents (the teacher explains what the students will learn today).

2) Read aloud the introductory texts and summaries of the lesson provided in the textbook or by the teacher (“Common characteristics

of the civilizations or urban cultures” and “The cradles of civilization”), listen to the explanations of the teacher and answer

basic questions orally, which involves students’ opinions and previous knowledge (for instance: “do you recognize this

monument, where is it, who have visited it? –the Pyramids and Great Sphinx of Giza–”).

3) Answer written comprehension questions about the introductory texts and summaries of the lesson (for example: “Where and when

did the first big urban civilization appear?”). Search in the dictionary the meaning of some words included in the lesson (like

“settlement” or “trade”) and create new sentences.

4) Draw a timeline with the starting and ending years of each one of the first civilizations. Write also the main events in the history of

Mesopotamia, Egypt, China and India. Take the information from the class summaries and from the chronological diagrams

included in the textbook or the images provided by the teacher in a presentation. Pair work is optional.

5) Locate in a blank map of the world (without any modern political border) the first civilizations of each continent (Mesopotamia,

Egypt, India, China, Mesoamerica and Andes) and paint them in a different color. Write the name of their main rivers (Tigris,

Euphrates, Nile, Indus, Ganges and Huang-He) and main ancient cities. Take the information from the class summaries and from

the maps included in the textbook or those provided by the teacher in a presentation. Pair work is optional.

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Session 2: Mesopotamia




TIME


contents

Teacher-students

Listening


(optional)

5 minutes




Learn the basic

characteristics of the

Mesopotamian

civilization

Teacher-students

Listening, speaking



Point, computer and

projector)

25 minutes

3) Answer written

comprehension and



today’s topic

Whole class work

Reading, writing

Texts or summaries,


pen

10 minutes + homework

4) Listen and find Identify the main

elements of a

Mesopotamian city

Whole class work

Listening

Voice recording or

teacher reading aloud,

photocopies and pen

5 minutes

5) Listen Realize the importance

of controlling the water

in the first civilizations

Whole class work

Listening, reading

Video disc, video player,

computer, projector and

photocopies

15 minutes

25



2) Read aloud the introductory texts and summaries of the lesson provided in the textbook or by the teacher (Mesopotamian

geography, political and military history, society, architecture, sculpture, culture and believes), listen to the explanations of the

teacher and answer basic questions orally, which involves students’ opinions and previous knowledge (for instance: “What can

the writing be used for?”

3) Answer written comprehension questions about the introductory texts and summaries. This activity includes 4 exercises:

3.1) Answer basic comprehension questions (for instance: “Which two rivers watered the land of Mesopotamia?”).

3.2) Answer true o false. Then correct the false sentences (for instance: “The Persian Empire extended to the Indus River”).

3.3) Match each word to a concept (for instance: “vault – architecture”).

3.4) Search in the dictionary the meaning of some words included in the lesson (like “polytheism”) and create new sentences.

+ Homework To finish these exercises, since the students probably won’t have time to do all of them in 10 minutes.

4) Listen to a description of the city of Babylon and find the names of the monuments (like the “Ishtar Gate”, the “temple of Marduk”,

the “hanging gardens”, the royal palace and the citadel) in a drawing.

5) View a short episode of the documentary History of the World. Episode 2: Age of Empire9 (the Mesopotamian episode), with

English subtitles or without them (depending of their language level), and answer multiple choice questions.

9 2012: BBC, Great Britain

26

Session 3: Egypt




TIME


contents

Teacher-students

Listening


(optional)

5 minutes




Learn the basic


Egyptian geography,

history and society

Teacher-students

Listening, speaking



Point, computer and

projector)

15 minutes

3) Comprehension

questions and short

composition

Comprehend texts and

be able to explain

today’s topic by writing

Whole class work

Reading, writing

Texts or summaries,


pen


4) Explain orally Learn how people lived

in Ancient Egypt and be

able to explain it orally

Pair work

Reading, speaking

Texts or summaries 15 minutes

5) Listen Realize the power of

pharaohs, priests and the

army in Ancient Egypt

Whole class work

Listening, reading



photocopies

15 minutes

27



2) Read aloud the introductory texts and summaries of the lesson provided in the textbook or by the teacher (Egyptian geography,

political and military history, society and culture), listen to the explanations of the teacher and answer basic questions orally,

which involves students’ opinions and previous knowledge (for instance: “Do you think it is possible to live in the desert?”

“Why water is so important?”).


3.1) Answer basic comprehension questions (for instance: “In which period did Ancient Egypt expand its territory?”).

3.2) Fill a diagram with the Egyptian social classes (“Absolute power, privileged class, common people and lowest class”).

3.3) Homework Finish the previous exercises in case the students hadn’t had enough time in class.

Watch a drawing of a working day in the Ancient Egyptian (a quarter of a town) and write a short

description of what the people are doing and how they live, using the vocabulary written on it.

4) Teacher writes on the blackboard or dictates a series of questions or short topics about daily life (for instance “What kind of food

ate the Egyptians in the past?”). Students prepare the answers in pairs, by consulting their text books or summaries. Later they

have to explain them orally to the rest of the classmates (communicate and express rather than memorize).

5) View a short fragment from the historical movie Pharaoh10, with English subtitles or without them (depending of their language

level), and answer multiple choice questions.

10 1966: Poland (the English international doubled version instead of the original Polish language version).

28

Session 4: Egypt




TIME


contents

Teacher-students

Listening


(optional)

5 minutes




Learn the basic

characteristics of

Egyptian daily life and

religious believes

Teacher-students

Listening, speaking



Point, computer and

projector)

15 minutes

3) Answer written

comprehension and



today’s topic

Whole class work

Reading, writing

Texts or summaries,


pen


4) Listen and find Identify different

funerary objects

Whole class work

Listening

Voice recording or


photocopies and pen

5 minutes

5) Listen Learn the steps of the

mummification process

and its meaning

Whole class work

Listening, reading



photocopies

15 minutes

29



2) Read aloud the introductory texts and summaries of the lesson provided in the textbook or by the teacher (Egyptian daily live and

religion: Gods, myths, believes and funerary practices), listen to the explanations of the teacher and answer basic questions

orally, which involves students’ opinions and previous knowledge (for instance: “What is a mummy?”).


3.1) Answer basic comprehension questions (for instance: “Why did Egyptians mummify the dead?”).

3.2) Put a series of actions (sentences about funerary ceremonies and believes) in chronological order (for instance: “The soul

passed into the afterlife”).

3.3) Match the names of Egyptian Gods to their descriptions (for instance: “Isis – Goddess of fertility”).

3.4) Homework Finish the previous exercises in case the students hadn’t had enough time in class.

Read a short adapted version of the myth of Osiris. Identify the main ideas of the text and summarize in a

few lines the plot of the story, by using the student’s own words (instead of copying sentences from the text).

4) Listen to a description of a series of Egyptian funerary objects (like “throne”, “sarcophagus” or “necklace”) and write the name

below the appropriate picture.

5) View a short fragment from the documentary The Egyptian Book of the Dead11 (the episode about the mummification process),

with English subtitles or without them (depending of their language level), and answer multiple choice questions.

11 2008: History channel, USA

30

Session 5: Egypt




TIME

1) Presentation Be aware of the contents Teacher-students / Listening Power Point with photos 5 minutes




Learn the basic

characteristics of

Egyptian art and

architecture

Teacher-students

Listening, speaking



Point, computer and

projector)

15 minutes

3) Comprehension and

vocabulary practice


today’s topic


Reading, writing

Texts or summaries,

notebook and pen


4) Locate in a map Understand the spatial

distribution of heritage


Reading, writing

Photocopy and pen 5 minutes

5) Listen and find Identify the parts of an

Egyptian temple

Whole class work

Listening

Voice recording or


photocopies and pen

5 minutes

6) Listen Be aware of the

monumentality of the

Egyptian architecture

Whole class work

Listening, reading



photocopies

15 minutes

31



2) Read aloud the introductory texts and summaries of the lesson provided in the textbook or by the teacher (Egyptian art and

architecture), listen to the explanations of the teacher and answer basic questions orally, which involves students’ opinions and

previous knowledge (for instance: “tell me the differences you see between these two pyramids?” –a photo of an Egyptian

pyramid and a Sumerian or Babylonian ziggurat–).

3) This activity includes 2 exercises about the introductory texts and summaries. Pair work is optional.

3.1) Answer basic comprehension questions (for instance: “Which pharaoh built the biggest pyramid?”).

3.2) Vocabulary practice: Draw a diagram of each of the three types of Egyptian tombs (“mastaba, pyramid and hypogeym”) and

label their parts (“entrance, funeral chamber, temple/shrine of the dead”).

+ Homework To finish these exercises, since the students probably won’t have time to do all of them in 5 minutes.

4) Locate in a blank map of ancient Egypt the main monuments (like “the pyramids and sphinx of Giza, Abu Simbel, the temple of

Karnak in Luxor, the Valley of the Kings and the stepped pyramid of Sakkara”). Pair work is optional.

5) Listen to a description of an Egyptian temple and find the names of their parts (like “sanctuary, hypostyle hall, patio, high priest’s

house and sacred lake”) in a drawing.

6) View a short fragment from the documentary Egypt. Engineering an Empire12 (the episode about the construction of the pyramids),

with English subtitles or without them (depending of their language level), and answer multiple choice questions.


32

Session 6: India and China




TIME


contents

Teacher-students

Listening


(optional)

5 minutes




Learn the basic


ancient Indian and

Chinese civilizations

Teacher-students

Listening, speaking



Point, computer and

projector)

20 minutes

3) Answer written

comprehension and



today’s topic

Whole class work

Reading, writing

Texts or summaries,


pen

10 minutes

4) Locate in a map Understand the role of

the Silk Road as a

cultural transmitter

Group work

Reading, writing

Photocopy, atlas, pen

and computer with

Internet


5) Listen Learn the historical role

of the Great Wall

Whole class work

Listening, reading



photocopies

15 minutes

33



2) Read aloud the introductory texts and summaries of the lesson provided in the textbook or by the teacher (Ancient Indian and

Chinese civilizations, from the Indus Valley to the Yellow River), listen to the explanations of the teacher and answer basic

questions orally, which involves students’ opinions and previous knowledge.


3.1) Answer basic comprehension questions (for instance: “Which two rivers watered the land of India?”).

3.2) Answer true o false. Then correct the false sentences (for instance: “Buddhism is a religion originated in China”).

3.3) Match the names of Hindu Gods to their descriptions (for instance: “Agni – God of fire”).

4) Locate in a blank map of Asia the main cities connected by the Silk Road (like “Constantinopolis, Antiochia, Ctesiphon,

Samarkand, Bactra, Dunhuang, Chang’an”) and write also their modern names and countries. Teacher gives the list of ancient

cities and students have to search in the Internet the information they need, as well as their location in on-line maps or in a paper

atlas provided by the teacher.

+ Homework To finish this exercise in case there is no Internet or not enough computers in class. They can also find

additional information about these ancient cities and write a short summary of one of them.

5) View a short fragment from the documentary China. Engineering an Empire13 (the episode about the construction of the Great

Wall), with English subtitles or without them (depending of their language level), and answer multiple choice questions.


34

Session 7: Exam - Answer short questions (for instance: “Which two rivers watered the land of Mesopotamia?”). - Write true of false (for instance “The arch and the vault were used in Egypt” or “The ancient Indians invented the paper”). - Match the names of Egyptian, Mesopotamian and Hindu Gods to their descriptions (for instance: “Osiris – Egyptian god of the dead” or “Indra – Hindu god of rain and thunderstorms”). - Put in chronological order (for instance, the apparition of the first civilizations: “Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, China, Mesoamerica and Andes”). - Compare, writing the similarities and differences (for instance: “a ziggurat and an Egyptian pyramid”). - Identify pictures, by writing their names (for instance: “the three different types of Egyptian tombs”, or famous monuments and masterpieces of ancient art like “the Sphinx of Giza, the Chinese Great Wall or the terracotta warriors of Xian”). - Fill diagrams (for instance: “the Egyptian social classes”). - Explain (for instance: “the role of the Silk Road”, “the importance of Nile in the Ancient Egypt” or “the usage of the first writing”).

8. Resources and materials

This didactic unit is designed to use in the classroom both traditional teaching

resources and new technologies. Therefore, not only I would use a blackboard, a

textbook and photocopies (besides a notebook and a pen for each student,

obviously), but also a computer, a projector, Power Point presentations, videos

(fragments of both documentaries and historical films), audio recordings and even

Internet if possible. It is also recommended to have some English paper dictionaries

in class (both English-English and English-Catalan).

In any case, the specific amount of resources and materials will depend on

their availability in the high school where the teacher will be working. S/he has to

adapt to any circumstance and take advantage of whatever serves to her/his

purposes.

For this didactic unit no textbook is needed, since I attach in the annex 10.4

the basic summaries I created myself. However, if the school is using a textbook of

Social Sciences written in English and specifically designed for Catalan students of

ESO, then the teacher can also use the texts included in the lesson “First

Civilizations” for explaining the theory, show the pictures (photos, drawings and

maps) to students and make them read the information contained on it.

I add here a short list of recommended historical documentaries and films

related to the first civilizations, suitable for the target group and its average age. I

used short episodes of most of these documentaries to prepare the activities.

Although I planned to show my students only one fragment of a movie (given the

limitation of time in the classroom), that is Pharaoh, the teacher can use any other of

the following films to do prepare similar activities. I chose Pharaoh because it is

considered one of the best films about Ancient Egypt, which depicts very well the

society, mentality, clothing, monuments, way of living, as well as the religious,

political and military situation of that epoch, although the pharaoh himself is fictional

(Rameses XIII) and the plot is invented. That masterpiece of cinema is probably a

much more accurate depiction of ancient Egypt than all the Hollywood versions most

of people have seen.

36

8.1- Recommended documentaries :

Egypt. Engineering an Empire (2007, History channel, USA)

Persia. Engineering an Empire (2007, History channel, USA)

China. Engineering an Empire (2007, History channel, USA)

Birth of Civilization (2007, France 2, France)

The Egyptian Book of the Dead (2008, History channel, USA)

History of the World. Episode 2: Age of Empire (2012, BBC, Great Britain)

8.2- Historical films :

The Egyptian (1954, USA)

Land of the Pharaohs (1955, USA)

Pharaoh (1966, Poland)

The Emperor’s Shadow (1996, China)

The Emperor and the Assassin (1998, China)

Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014, USA)

37

9. Anticipated problems and solutions

9.1- Challenges for teachers :

Challenges for teachers can be different according to their academic specialty

(social sciences, natural sciences, mathematics, technology, etc).

Subject teachers need to feel confident about their English language level,

especially if they have not used English for some time. In the case of history, subject

teachers need:

- be able to present and discuss historical information and sources clearly and

accurately,

- check pronunciation of subject-specific vocabulary which may look similar to

other words in English but have different pronunciation,

- be able to use appropriate classroom language to present new arguments, to

question, paraphrase, clarify, encourage and manage their classes in English.

Language teachers may decide to teach subjects in CLIL or may be asked to.

They need to feel confident about their knowledge and skills related to the subject

they are going to teach. In the case of history, teachers need to:

- know how to explain historical evidence, analyze sources, and select

relevant information and materials for different ages of learners in meaningful and

creative ways that will deepen learners’ understanding,

- be prepared to answer questions about history with answers that may be

unfamiliar to the learners, for example, “what caused the invasion?”

- widen their knowledge of vocabulary related to specific history topics and its

pronunciation.

9.2- Challenges for learners :

Most learners need considerable support in the first years of CLIL courses.

Most teachers do not know how long learners will take to do tasks, complete

worksheets or understand instructions and explanations until they have used

materials for the first years. Therefore, it is advisable to have extra activities every

38

day, in case an activity took less time to be done than expected. However, since it is

more likely that students take more time to finish, teacher shouldn’t be worry to do all

the activities proposed in this didactic unit: it is more important students learn well the

basic concepts before deepen into more complex ones. My advice for teachers is not

go too fast: slow down the teaching rhythm, repeat as many times as necessary,

check and make sure students have learnt the first lesson before continuing.

Learners are all different; some need more support in order to understand

subject concepts, while some need more support to communicate ideas about

subject concepts. Learners may need differentiation of input, task and support.

Therefore, the teaching-learning process should be centered on identifying the

students' needs; the learning should be adapted to their own capabilities.

Teachers should be aware that learning a subject in a language different than

the mother tongue is a great challenge for their students, even more if it is their first

time. They have to get used to a very specific vocabulary14, to read with a minimum

fluency and comprehension many texts (although adapted), to listen and understand

explanations from the teacher as well as from videos, to successfully produce the

target language both by writing it and orally (speaking). All the skills of English are

involved in this complex learning process, not only the theoretical and practical

knowledge of history.

9.3- Common problems and attention to the diversity :

There are several problems that are likely to be found when teaching in a

secondary school in Catalonia (and more specifically in ESO), besides the problems

related to the learning of a subject such as history in a foreign language (English, in

this case). On the one hand, teacher will probably have to face more or less

complicated behavior problems in order to succeed in putting in practice this didactic

unit. Keeping the discipline in a classroom full of teenagers is very important, in order

to provide a good learning atmosphere.

14 There are examples of specific historical vocabulary in the annex 12.1, all of them basic terms and concepts related to the Ancient Egyptian and Mesopotamian civilizations, which will be learned throughout this didactic unit.

39

On the other hand, teacher will have to pay attention to the diversity, in order

to guarantee that each one of her/his pupils may have same opportunities to learn.

S/he should keep in mind that there are many kinds of learners: faster and slower

ones, but also quiet and nervous, attentive and distracted, introverted or extroverted,

etc. In addition, not every person learn better in the same way: some of them learns

best through seeing (visual learners) or hearing (auditory), some people learns best

working alone while others learn faster though working with others, some students

are reflective but others are impulsive. And it is possible to find all this diversity in

different classes or even inside the same class (which is very common). Therefore,

teacher will have to find different solutions to different kind of students, adapting or

choosing the activities proposed in this didactic unit, according to each particular

case.

Given the particular situation of Catalonia as a country which receives many

immigrants (Spanish-speakers as well as from other cultural and linguistic

backgrounds), in the classroom some students might have a very low level not only

of English, but also of Catalan language. This can cause two possible negative

effects: the risk of slowing down considerably the learning rhythm of the whole class,

or the risk that this small group of students gets lost, that they cannot follow the rest

of their classmates’ progress and doesn’t learn at all.

As I said before, the teacher should find the best solution to any particular

case, depending on the circumstances. However I can offer a few advices which may

help: try to put in the same team a fast learner with a slow learner whenever a group

or pair activity has to be done (the first one would eventually help the second one), to

prepare in advance a few easy activities specifically designed for the students with a

lower language level, to provide students with English dictionaries (both English-

English designed for beginners or intermediate learners, as well as Catalan-English),

to use English subtitles in videos (when watching a documentary or a movie too

complicated to understand for students). Concerning the assessment method for the

attention to the diversity, students with particular learning problems can be (and

should be) evaluated according to the basic competences.

40

10. Bibliography

10.1 Education books :

APAC = Associació de Professors d'Anglès de Catalunya (2006): CLIL in Catalonia.

From theory to practice, Barcelona.

COYLE, D. (1999): “Theory and planning for effective classrooms. Supporting

students in content and language integrated learning contexts”, Learning through

a foreign language (Masih Ed.), CILT,London.

ESCAMILLA, A. (2008): Las competencias básicas. Claves y propuestas para su

desarrollo en los centros, Graó, Barcelona.

FORTANET GÓMEZ, Inmaculada (2013): CLIL in higher education. Towards a

multilingual language policy, Multilingual Matters, Buffalo.

Generalitat de Catalunya (2012): Decret 51/2012, de 22 de maig, de modificació del

Decret 143/2007, de 26 de juny, pel qual s’estableix l’ordenació dels

ensenyaments de l’educació secundària obligatòria, Diari Oficial de la Generalitat

de Catalunya, n. 6135, Barcelona.

Law downloadable from the Internet at http://www.gencat.cat/dogc

LASAGABASTER, David & RUIZ DE ZAROBE, Yolanda (2010): CLIL in Spain.

Implementation, results and teacher training, Cambridge Scholars, Newcastle.

MARTÍN, X. & PUIG, J.M. (2007): Les set competències per educar en valors, Graó,

Barcelona.

PÉREZ, P. & ZAYAS, F. (2007): Competencia en comunicación lingüística, Alianza,

Madrid.

PHILLIPS, I. (2008): Teaching history. Developing as a reflective secondary teacher,

SAGE, London.

SANMARTÍ, N. (2007): 10 ideas clave. Evaluar para aprender, Graó, Barcelona.

http://www.gencat.cat/dogc

41

10.2- Textbooks :

AA.VV. (2008): Essential Geography and History 1, Santillana-Richmond, Madrid.

CARRASCO, C. & FIGUEIRA, Mª D. & GONZÁLEZ, G. & GONZÁLEZ, J.L. &

MARCOS, A. & SIERRA, G. & TORRES, F. (2011): Social Sciences. Eso 1,

Oxford University Press.

GARCÍA SEBASTIÁN, M. & GATELL ARIMONT, C. (2013): Social Sciences.

Geography & History, History 1.2, Vicens Vives, Barcelona.

42

11. Webgraphy

11.1- Internet links with information about education :


(European Framework for CLIL Teacher Education – Council of Europe) David

Marsh, Peeter Mehisto, Dieter Woldd, M.J.Frigols Martín

http://e-clil.uws.ac.uk

(E-CLIL European Resource Centre) European project building CLIL resources

for language learning


learning_en.htm

(Content and Language Integrated Learning - European Comission)

http://www20.gencat.cat/portal/site/ensenyament

(Departament d’Ensenyament, Generalitat de Catalunya)

https://www.teachers.cambridgeesol.org/ts/digitalAssets/117075_Teaching_History_t

hrough_English_-_a_CLIL_Approach.pdf

PDF file downloadable from this website:

Cambridge ESOL (2011): Teaching History through English. A CLIL

approach, University of Cambridge – ESOL Examinations, Cambridge.

http://www.xtec.cat

(Xarxa Telemàtica Educativa de Catalunya – Generalitat de Catalunya,

Departament d’Ensenyament)

Official PDF files downloadable from this website:

Departament d’Ensenyament (2011-2012): Document d’orientació sobre

l’avaluació a l’ESO, Generalitat de Catalunya, Departament

d’Ensenyament, Barcelona.


http://e-clil.uws.ac.uk


http://www20.gencat.cat/portal/site/ensenyament

https://www.teachers.cambridgeesol.org/ts/digitalAssets/117075_Teaching_History_t

http://www.xtec.cat

43

DGEBB = Direcció General de l’Educació Bàsica i el Batxillerat (2009): Del

currículum a les programacions. Una oportunitat per a la reflexió

pedagògica a l’Educació Bàsica, Generalitat de Catalunya,

Departament d’Educació, Barcelona.

DGEBB = Direcció General de l’Educació Bàsica i el Batxillerat (2007):

Desplegament del currículum a l’Educació Secundària Obligatòria

(ESO), Generalitat de Catalunya, Departament d’Educació, Barcelona.

SOC = Servei d’Ordenació Curricular (2008): Currículum Educació

Secundària Obligatòria, Generalitat de Catalunya, Departament

d’Educació, Barcelona.

11.2- Didactic short videos and other educative Internet resources :

http://www.tiching.com/8990 (3-D reconstruction of the ziggurat of Ur)

http://www.tiching.com/9024 (cuneiform script on clay tablets)

http://www.tiching.com/9028 (relief and decorations on the Ishtar Gate)

http://www.tiching.com/9030 (importance of the Nile in Ancient Egypt)

http://www.tiching.com/9039 (symbols of power of the pharaohs)

http://www.tiching.com/9088 (3-D reconstructions of Egyptian houses)

http://www.tiching.com/9101 (the temple of Karnak)

http://www.tiching.com/9104 (3-D reconstruction of an Egyptian temple)

http://www.tiching.com/9107 (inside the Great Pyramids of Gizeh)

http://www.tiching.com/24787 (the mastaba of Mereruka)

http://www.tiching.com/24792 (Code of Hammurabi)

http://www.tiching.com/24795 (cuneiform script on clay tablets)

http://www.tiching.com/24806 (importance of the Nile in Ancient Egypt)

http://www.tiching.com/24807 (the role of the Nile in Ancient Egypt)

http://www.tiching.com/24812 (everyday life in Ancient Egypt)

http://www.tiching.com/24818 (life of an Egyptian noble and a peasant)

http://www.tiching.com/24821 (main Egyptian gods)

http://www.tiching.com/24824 (symbols of the Egyptian mythology)

http://www.tiching.com/8990


















44

http://www.tiching.com/24826 (the Judgement of Osiris)

http://www.tiching.com/24830 (how the pyramids were build)

http://www.tiching.com/24831 (tomb of the pharaoh Tutankhamen)

http://www.tiching.com/24832 (the pharaoh Ramses II)

http://www.tiching.com/24833 (paintings from the hypogeum of Nefertari)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/egyptians/






http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/egyptians/

45

12- Annexes

12.1- Specific vocabulary :

- ARCH A round structure over an open space such as a door.

- ARCHAEOLOGIST A scientist who studies the past human life by excavating and

recovering objects such as pottery, tools, and buildings.

- ARCHITECTURE The art or technique of designing and making buildings.

- ARTISAN A person skilled in making objects like furniture or other crafts.

- ADOBE A mixture of clay and straw used to make bricks for building.

- AFTERLIFE The continuation of life after death in, for example, a heaven or

underworld.

- CHAMBER A large underground or enclosed room.

- CITY-STATE An ancient city with an independent government and its surrounding

area.

- CIVILIZATION Urban culture, an advanced state of development of a society.

- CUNEIFORM A system of writing with pictures instead of words that was used in

Ancient Mesopotamia.

- EMPIRE A large group of countries that is governed by one ruler.

- FERTILE Land where plants grow well in.

- GOD / GODDESS A being that is worshipped and believed to have special powers

over nature or life.

- HIEROGLYPHICS A system of writing with pictures instead of words that was used

in Ancient Egypt.

- KING / QUEEN A ruler of a country, son of the former ruler.

- MERCHANT Trader, a person who buys and sells.

- MUMMY The death body of a person that has been preserved with special oils and

covered in cloth.

- MYTHOLOGY A collection of myths, fabulous stories from past times, especially

about gods and men of courage.

- OFFICIAL A person who has a position of responsibility in an organization, such as

a government.

- PALACE The large official home of a king or other person of high rank.

46

- PAPYRUS A paper made from an Egyptian plant.

- PHARAOH A ruler of Ancient Egypt.

- POLYTHEISM The belief in more than one god.

- PRIEST A person who performs religious ceremonies.

- PYRAMID A structure with a square base and triangular sides in which Egyptian

pharaohs were buried.

- REINCARNATION The belief that people who have died can live again in a different

body.

- SCRIBE An official in Ancient Egypt with the job of making copies of documents

and keeping records.

- SCULPTURE Statue, figure or artistic object made from stone, wood, clay or metal.

- TEMPLE A building where gods and goddesses are worshiped.

- TOMB A hole in which a dead body is buried.

- URBAN Connected with a town or city.

- VAULT An arched, semicircular structure used as a ceiling in public buildings.

- WORSHIP To show devotion to or adoration of a god.

- ZIGGURAT A large rectangular structure built in layers of successively smaller

levels, with a temple at the top.

12.2- Grammar particles and structures :

- Articles and nouns

- Adjective and adverbs

- Prepositions

- Simple present verbs

- Simple past verbs

- Simple sentences (subject + verb + complement)

- Basic compound sentences (with commas or coordinating

conjunctions: and, or, but).

- Interrogative sentences and imperative verbs (questions and

instructions).

47

12.3- Sample activities :

Session 2

- Answer the following questions (Activity 3.1):

a) Which two rivers watered the land of Mesopotamia?

b) What is a ziggurat?

c) Who were the most powerful Assyrian kings?

d) What is the name of the ancient Mesopotamian system of writing?

e) Which king of Babylon wrote the first code of laws?

- Answer true o false. Then correct the false sentences (Activity 3.2):

a) Babylon was in the kingdom of Akkad.

b) Mesopotamian sculptures often showed people worshipping in

military scenes.

c) Money was first used in the city-states.

d) The Persian Empire extended to the Indus River.

e) The Assyrian Empire conquered Greece.

- Match each word to a concept (Activity 3.3):

Ur SCULPTURE Persia

Assyria ARCHITECTURE vault

arch EMPIRES Uruk

worshippers FIRST CITY-STATES stele

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Session 3


a) What is the name of the ancient Egyptian system of writing?

b) Which pharaoh unified Egypt?

c) Who were the most powerful pharaohs?

d) Why were scribes part of the privileged class?

c) What happened to the Nile in June?

- Fill a diagram with the Egyptian social classes (Activity 3.2):

Absolute power Pharaoh

Privileged class High officials, priests and scribes

Common people Peasants, traders and craftsmen

Lowest class Slaves

- Answer orally the following questions (Activity 4)

a) Which social groups were privileged in Ancient Egypt? What jobs did

they have? How did they live?

b) Which social groups belonged to the common people in Ancient

Egypt? What jobs did they have? How did they live?

c) What kind of food ate the Egyptians in the past?

d) How was their clothing?

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Session 4


a) What did Egyptians believe happened after death?

b) What did they put in the tombs?

c) Why did Egyptians mummify the dead?

d) Why do we say that the Egyptians practiced polytheism?

- Put the following actions in chronological order (Activity 3.2):

a) The dead presented themselves for the Judgement of Osiris.

b) Offerings and statues were places in the tombs of the dead.

c) The body was mummified.

d) The soul passed into the afterlife.

- Match the names to the descriptions (Activity 3.3):

Osiris Goddess of fertility

Thot God of war

Isis God of the dead

Horus Sun god

Ra God of wisdom

- Listen and find which of the objects is being described (Activity 4):

a) A special chair for the pharaoh

(answer: throne)

b) A decorated container for the death

(answer: sarcophagus)

c) Jewelry worn by the pharaohs.

(answer: necklace)

d) Ceremonial shoes left inside the tomb.

(answer: funeral sandals)

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Session 5


a) Which pharaoh built the biggest pyramid?

b) Which pharaoh built the monumental sculptures of Abu Simbel?

c) Which buildings did the ancient Egyptians paint in?

d) Which one is the largest temple of ancient Egypt?

e) What is an obelisk?

f) Which metal was the mask of Tutankhamon made of?

- Listen and find which part of the temple is being described (Activity 4):

Words to chose: sanctuary, granaries, high priest’s house, hypostyle

hall, sacred lake, house of life, patio, sacred boat, wharf, pillar, obelisk

and avenue of sphinxes.

1. This is where the high priest lived.

(answer: high priest’s house)

2. Only the priests and pharaohs could enter this room.

(answer: sanctuary)

3. This hall in the middle of the temple had decorated columns.

(answer: hypostyle hall)

4. Everyone could enter this open area.

(answer: patio)

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Session 6


a) Who has the first emperor who unified China?

b) Which two rivers watered the land of India?

c) Which are the two main doctrines followed by ancient Chinese?

d) Who was the most powerful emperor of ancient India?

- Answer true o false. Then correct the false sentences (Activity 3.2):

a) Buddhism is a religion originated in China.

b) Alexander the Great arrived to India.

c) The Chinese civilization first appeared in the Blue River or Yangtze.

d) The Indians built the longest channel of the world.

e) Paper was invented in ancient China.

- Match the names to the descriptions (Activity 3.3):

Varuna The Destroyer God

Shiva The Preserver God

Indra God of fire

Vishnu The Creator God

Agni God of rain and thunderstorms

Brahma God of the oceans

12.4- Summaries :

The first civilizations (the urban revolution) Common characteristics of the civilizations or urban cultures :

1) Increase of size and complexity of the settlements (appearance of cities). 2) Development of centralized political entities (State formation) and militaristic campaigns (Empires). 3) Accumulation of wealth caused by political centralization and administrative activities (taxation). 4) Division of the work in non-subsistence specialized activities (artisans, priests, warriors, merchants, officials…). 5) Growing social differences and emergence of classes (privileged and non-privileged). 6) Monumental public building. 7) Development of exact sciences and technology. 8) Creation of systems of writing and memorization. 9) Development of sophisticated artistic style. 10) Appearance of distant trade.

The cradles of civilization : 1) MESOPOTAMIA - Emergence date: 3500 BC

- Location: valleys of the rivers Tigris and Euphrates (nowadays Iraq) - Cultures: Sumerian, Assyrian-Babylonian, Persian (Iran) - Cities: Uruk, Eridu, Ur (Sumerian), Babylon, Assur, Niniveh, Persepolis

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2) EGYPT - Emergence date: 3200 BC

- Location: valley of the river Nile (nowadays Egypt) - Cities: Thinis, Memphis, Thebes, Amarna (ancient capitals)

3) INDIA - Emergence date: 2600 BC

- Location: valley of the rivers Indus first and Ganges later. - Cultures: Indic and Hindu - Cities: Harappa, Mohenjo-Daro

4) CHINA - Emergence date: 1800 BC

- Location: valley of the Yellow River or Huang-He - Cultures: Shang and Han - Cities: Zhengzhou, Anyang, Chang’an, Luoyang

5) MESOAMERICA - Emergence date: 1200 BC

- Location: The gulf and plateau of Mexico and the Yucatan Peninsula - Cultures: Olmec, Aztec and Maya - Cities: Teotihuacan, Monte Alban and Tenochtitlan (Mexico), Tikal, Copan, Palenque, Chichen Itza (Maya)

6) ANDES - Emergence date: 900 BC

- Location: the Andes Range (nowadays Peru) - Cultures: Moche, Nazca, Inca - Cities: Chavin, Tiahuanaco, Chan-Chan, Cuzco, Machu-Picchu

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Mesopotamia (3500 – 500 BC) 1) Geography :

- Valleys of the rivers Tigris and Euphrates (in nowadays Iraq) - Mesopotamia means “land between two rivers” - Control of the water irrigation and drainage (channels, wells, ditches and dikes) - Fertile land very productive agriculture - Fluvial navigation (to transport goods or people)

2) Political and military history :

- First independent city-states in Sumer (at the south or Lower Mesopotamia) Ur, Uruk, Eridu and Lagash (3500-2000 aC). - Akkadian Kingdom (King Sargon) Capital in Akkad. - Assyrian Empire (at the north or Higher Mesopotamia) Great military conquests. Cities of Assur and Niniveh.

Kings Assurbanipal and Sennacherib. - Babylonian Empire (King Nebuchadnezzar) Babylon was the capital. - Persian Empire It conquered Mesopotamia, Egypt, Anatolia and extended to the Indus River.

3) Society : - Monarchs (king) and nobles - Priests - Warriors

- Officials at the service of the State (bureaucracy) collected and administered taxes. - Merchants (traders) and artisans - Peasants (the majority of the population)

- Slaves (spoils of war o by debts)

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4) Architecture : - Ziggurat (temples with the form of a stepped pyramid) - Palaces (very luxurious) - City walls (like the one of Babylon, with the Ishtar Gate)

- Materials bricks made from clay and straw, baked or dried in the sun (adobe) facings of glazed ceramic - Invention of the arch and the vault 5) Sculpture :

- Statues of kings and men worshipping - Relieves (powerful kings and monstrous guardian animals) - Steles (to commemorate military victories)

6) Culture : - Cuneiform script The oldest in the world Incisions on clay tablets Invented for bookkeeping Used to fix laws (like the Code of Hammurabi) - Scientific knowledge (calculus, geometry, astronomy…) 7) Believes : - Polytheistic religion (many gods) Marduk, Ishtar… - Myths (divine legends) of the Creation, the Flood and the hero Gilgamesh. - Magic and superstitions (fear of demons)

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Egypt (3200 – 300 BC) 1) Geography : - Valley of the Nile River in the north-east of Africa (Egypt and Sudan)

- Fertile land Construction of dikes and channels to control the floods. - The river was the main mean of communication. - Country surrounded by deserts, the Mediterranean Sea at the north, the Red Sea and the Sinai Peninsula at the east.


- The pharaoh Narmer unified Lower Egypt (the delta) and Upper Egypt. - Several dynasties (royal families) ruled three empires (Old, Middle and New), divided by intermediate periods of war and division. - Expansion Conquests of Nubia (Sudan) and Middle East (Palestine). - Most powerful pharaohs Tutmosis and Ramses. - The end Assyrians, Persians, Greeks and Romans conquered Egypt (Cleopatra was the last queen).

3) Society : - Pharaoh (king with absolute powers, considered as a living god) - Nobles, governors and scribes (officials) - Priests - Warriors

- Peasants (the majority of the population that had to work the land of the privileged classes and also build pyramids and temples for free)

- Merchants and artisans - Slaves (a few)

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4) Architecture : - Used lintels (not arches or vaults). - Tombs Mastabas (rectangular with underground chambers, like those of Sakkara).

Pyramids (the largest ones were build by Kheops, Khefren and Mykerinos in Giza). Hypogeums (rock-cut, like the one of Tutankhamon in the Valley of the Kings, Thebes).

- Palaces (very luxurious, like the one of Amarna). - Temples (very large and with many halls, some of them with columns, sacred lake, granaries, sanctuary and sacred boat, like the temple of Karnak in Luxor). - Capital cities Thinis, Memphis, Thebes, Amarna.

5) Art : - Mural paintings (on the walls of the tombs, temples and palaces).

- Monumental sculptures of pharaohs (like those of Ramses II at Abu Simbel). - Obelisks (solar symbol). - Sphinxs (protector power, like the one of Giza). - Precious-metal craftwork (objects and jewels made from gold, like the mask of Tutankhamon).

6) Culture : - Hieroglyphic script (complex and artistic, on stone and papyrus).

- Advanced scientific knowledge (calculus, geometry, astronomy…) 7) Believes : - Polytheistic religion Osiris, Isis, Amon-Ra, Horus, Anubis…

- Zoomorphic gods (with animal forms: crocodile, falcon, snake, jackal…) - Magic and superstitions. - Funeral ceremonies mummification of the bodies

Book of the Dead Judgement of Osiris in the afterlife

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India (2600 – 200 BC) 1) Geography : - Valley of the Indus River first (nowadays Pakistan).

- Valley of the Ganges rivers later (north of India). - From there, the urban culture arrived to the south of the peninsula.

- Spread of Indian culture and Hindu and Buddhist religions to Himalaya (Nepal and Tibet) and South-East Asia (Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia and Indonesia).


- Indus valley civilization City-states of Harappa and Mohenjo Daro (in nowadays Pakistan). - The Aryan invasion spread the Indo-European culture into India. - During the second urbanization period new urban settlements arose at the Ganges plain. - After the arrival of the Greeks (Alexander the Great), India was united into a vast Buddhist empire. Ashoka the Great was the most powerful emperor.

3) Society : - Priests - Warriors and administrators - Peasants, stockmen and traders - Artisans and servants 4) Art and architecture : - Well-planned cities (orthogonal urbanism) in the Indus valley. - Monumental stone sculptures and rock-cut caves.

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5) Culture : - Writing system pictorial script first and syllabic later.

6) Believes :

- Hinduism (polytheist religion that believes in reincarnation. Indra, Agni and Varuna were the most important ancient Gods, and Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma the most important modern Gods). - Buddhism (atheist spiritual religion –without God– which follows the teachings of Buddha, “the enlightened one”).

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China (1800 BC – 200 AD)

1) Geography : - Agriculture first, and civilization later, appeared in the valley of Yellow River or Huang-He (at the north of China). - Very fertile lands (loess). - Later, urban culture and Chinese Empire arrived to the south (the valley of Blue River or Yangtze). - Spread of Chinese culture to East Asia (Korea, Japan, Vietnam) and Central Asia (Mongolia).

2) Political and military history : - Shang dynasty (first cities, use of bronze and writing). - Feudalism (division in kingdoms that fought each other). - First emperor Chin Shi Huang Di (unified the whole China). - Han Empire (conquest of Korea and Central Asia, cultural splendor).

3) Architecture : - Imperial palaces. - Monumental tombs (like the tomb of the First Emperor in Xian, with a pyramid and an army of terracotta warriors). - Great Wall (that protected the northern border from the barbarian attacks of the steppe people, like the huns). - Great Channel (the longest in the world, which linked the two longest rivers of China: the Yellow and the Blue).

4) Culture : - Ideographic and pictographic script (very complex). - Invention of paper.

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5) International trade : - The Silk Road linked by land, through Central Asia, the great empires of the Antiquity (Roma in the West and China in the East).

6) Believes : - Taoism (doctrine of the Tao or “Way”, with ideas of the wise Laotze, magic and divination). - Confucianism (humanistic doctrine of the philosopher Confucius).

the first civilizations didactic unit victor perez 2014

Documents

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early civilizations

hydraulic civilizations

civilizations clil history

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